Blogger of the week: Don Rittner, aka the historian/hat guy

Don Rittner has been blogging with the Times Union since May 2009. He is often recognized as a man of many hats, the ones he wears as well as the many titles he’s held over the years.

He has been the drummer in a rock band, father of two generations of children, author of 32 books, a historian and a teacher. More recently, he has been helping the casting crew of the film “Place Behind the Pines,” starring Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendez, being filmed in Schenectady. Meet Don Rittner, author, historian, father, former drummer and blogger.

Name: Don Rittner

Family: I tried marriage twice and found I was allergic to it, but I have two generations of great kids.

What’s your work? I’m the Schenectady County and city historian. I’m also the author of 32 books and president of the Onrust project, which is a replica of the first fur trading ship built in America in 1614, now docked in Waterford. http://www.theonrust.com

How do you find time to blog between work and family obligations? I only get four hours of sleep. That’s all I need.

Who do you think is your typical reader? Someone who’s interested in local history. My reader is smart and well-educated.

What do you do when you’re not working? I’m a workaholic; I don’t have a lot of down time.

Where do you get your news? The Times Union is the first thing I read every morning, but I read all the local papers and the New York Times. I also watch CNN.

Are you recognized as a blogger when people first meet you? Yes, I’ve been around for 40 years on various projects though. It depends on what hat I’m wearing that day.

3 Responses

I seem to recall earlier this year that Don was responding to comments left on his blog using the reader’s first name without their permission (which he would get from the readers’ e-mail addresses), rather than their pseudonyms, because he doesn’t believe in “Internet anonymity,” if I recall his statement correctly.

I trust with this high honor bestowed upon Don his responses are now more alligned with the TU’s editorial policy.